20 weeks pregnant & my daily fuel

helllooo 20 week baby bump! and woah, already half way done!!

dress (non-maternity): target

so i thought i'd start sharing some maternity style posts in the event that it inspires any other pregnant ladies out there that are struggling with dressing this new little (or not so little!) baby bump.  something i've learned since being pregnant now 3 times over: you do not have to sacrifice personal style when it comes to being pregnant.  it's all about what YOU like and what makes YOU feel beautiful.  after all, your body is doing something absolutely incredible--making a tiny little human life! but, i obviously know the shock of seeing the changes that happen to your body while this awesome process is going on.  it can be uncomfortable (if you're not there yet just wait, it'll happen ;) and sometimes even the teeny tiniest bit saddening (thanks hormones!) to see the way your new body looks.  but one thing to remember is that the whole process is SO worth it.  like 1,000 times over worth it.  or in my case, 3 times haha.  in the end, the only thing that matters is a healthy baby & a healthy mama. So on that note, lets get down to business!
("to defeat, the Huns!"--Mulan reference, i couldn't resist)

this sleeveless shirt dress is the perfect summer time maternity staple piece!  it's so lightweight & flowy, which is what I'm loving and basically living in right now (excluding my everyday morning/afternoon ensemble of workout shorts & tanks;)  due to scorching outdoor temps.  and I just love the simplicity of it, its one of those dresses that doesn't really need anything added to make it look complete.

mug: world market || heart pendant: similar

well, that's not totally true...  my only add-on would be a mug of espresso, or three, to make it 

through the rest of the day ;) 

happy weekend all! 

-A

a Secret Garden Birthday party

on may 22nd our little Zo turned 3 years old. now to most people this wouldn't seem very old but to my husband and I it seems more like she turned 13.  and I'm not just referring to the attitude, heaven knows she's got one though, the term "threenager" is no joke...  anyways, her turning three was just one more reminder of how quickly time really does go by.  it seems like just a few months ago she was hardly talking and now she carries on full conversations every second of the day.  No really, the talking never. stops.  and even though it's sometimes tiring answering the same question over and over again (and again and again) it's also fascinating to listen to her learn to put correct words together and have conversations with just about anything and everything.  Her little imagination is expanding every day and I love seeing her use it so often and seeing the creativity that comes with it.  I don't think a meal goes by without one of her utensils turning into a friend that talks to her hand while the hand answers back about whatever kind of food it got on itself.   and even though I know I should be correcting her for playing with her food at the table, it's seriously hilarious to watch and I'd be lying if I said I don't usually answer the questions her fork asks me all the time...

she's three now so obviously she has to start practicing her makeup haha 

Okay, on to the birthday party!

As I mentioned in my last post, Zo is obsessed with all things garden related so the theme of her party was decided pretty quickly once I started looking at Pinterest with her and she got excited over every "Secret Garden" birthday Pin she saw. and since it was a toddler party we decided to make it a brunch theme and the timing worked out perfectly for everyone!  not to mention, how fun is brunch food especially when donuts are involved?! and so--with help from my awesome husband, my awesome mom & equally awesome siblings, the party turned out almost as perfect & beautiful as the birthday girl herself.
thank you so much to everyone that came and helped us celebrate this little lady!  She had the absolute best birthday and talks about her party all the time  :)

this floral garland made the perfect backdrop for the food table and to be honest, it's still hanging up... we just can't bring ourselves to take it down, every time the sun shines through the window it looks so pretty! eventually it'll come down, but for now--we're gonna keep it up, in the spirit of birthdays ;) 

Donuts & chick-fil-a are basically a guaranteed hit with all ages

it took my sisters and I the longest time to decide where to hang these paper fans & pom-poms but once we finally tried them in the entryway we fell in love with the way they turned out!  p.s. don't mind Greg hard at work back there ;)

favors!  sticking with the garden theme, I picked up some small tin buckets and filled them with vegetable/fruit seed packets, bubbles & lollipops

the necessities for the adults ;) 

one of my favorite family photos!  I love this little clan of mine. 

like I said, who can resist donuts? 

Peter was a big fan of the cupcakes as well 

this bouquet arrangement set (link below) turned out to be one of her favorites gifts!  she uses it every day and it's perfect for expanding both her imagination and fine motor skills.  

bouquet arrangement set

 

my sister is graduating with a nursing degree(!) so naturally she had to gift zo with a medical kit.  and not just any kind, a pediatric nurses kit!  zo absolutely loves it and uses it on all of her animals or whoever is willing to be her patient.

this girl partied hard and was so worn out she passed out on the floor in the corner of the couch shortly after bath time. i think it's safe to say she had the perfect birthday :) 

life updates & new little personalities

oh my, it's been a while since my last post. A lonnngg while... I have plenty of excuses but will just chalk it up to everyday life around here-- keeping up with a 14month old, a 3 year old (how?!) and being 5months pregnant keeps me extra busy & extra tired!

so here's just a few life updates before I get on to doing regular posting:

-first & most importantly: we are SO excited to be welcoming another little life into our family come November!  Baby's due date is november 7th but will be a scheduled c-section so unless they come early it'll either be October 31st (boo!) or November 1st :) we still don't know the gender as of yet and I was leaning towards boy but now I'm feeling girl... which would be perfect cause we have plenty of girl clothes to pass down but Peter has basically destroyed all of his clothes already. #allboy.  really though, so far this has been an extremely easy pregnancy, which im so thankful for, and it would be awesome if it stayed that way!  now our next big decision is deciding what kind of car to upgrade to since my car will no longer be big enough for our little crew once baby comes.  Currently stuck between a mini van and a suburban... please feel free to recommend away haha!

⁃ Zo turned 3 years old on May 22nd and I'm kinda in denial about it.  we threw her a real birthday party this year cause she is birthday obsessed, so much so that she plays birthday party with herself all the time haha. it was such a fun day for all of us and she had an absolute blast!  will be posting
about it soon :)  it's so hard to believe how quickly she's growing up!  But honestly, we are loving this
stage of her life (so far haha)!  she's almost fully potty trained (which turned out to be waaay easier than we thought it would be!) she talks allll day long, loves singing & dancing, has taken a big interest in puzzles, the solar system and is obsessed with all things garden, floral & nature related.
and since the talking is basically 24/7 I've started keeping little notes of things she says cause they can be pretty hilarious sometimes, and I also want to have proof of these sassy little remakes to show her when she grows up ;) one of my all time faves (so far) was when my sister was visiting and we were chatting it up, like sisters do after not seeing each other for a while, and Zo apparently had enough of us and finally just blurts out "alright alright that's enough talking!" hahaha!  the girl is sassy but adorable, such a great combo ;)

the boy in his natural habitat

⁃ Peter Man (as his sister likes to call him) has developed quite the little personality too and he's not afraid to show it... Now, he's almost always smiling and just has the cutest little grin ever--unless you go outside without him, then he losses his little mind. no really, he screams and throws himself on the
floor cause he wants to get out so badly.  he'll stand by our back windows banging on them and yelling to go outside (in his own little language) and if you don't listen to him he'll go find some shoes to bring to you, even if they aren't yours or don't match, and repeatedly hold them up to you saying "dis (this) dis!" until you finally give in and take him outside even though it's already 90 degrees and humid as a rain forest.  I swear he'd live outside if he could. Like I said #allboy.  oh, and he still hasn't said "mama" yet. *eye roll*

That's about it for the "fun" life updates! we're over here bracing ourselves for the hot season that's already upon us and preparing to spend a lot of time playing in the pool, water table & sprinkler.  So bring on the heat, cause I've already stocked the freezer with multiple kinds of ice pops. Summer 2017, we're ready for you.

love,
amy